Long Rope - Skipping Tricks

Long Rope Skipping Trick1) Cluster Jump (single file) - First skipper in, second skipper stands behind number 1, third person behind number 2, fourth person behind number 3 and so on. skipping trick tip Getting the skippers to jump in the long rope next to another skipper means you should get twice as many in than single file i.e. number 1 beside number 2, number 3 behind number 1, number 4 beside number 3 etc.

Long Rope Skipping Trick 2) Figure of 8 - (also known as “Miss a Loop” , "Keep the Pot Boiling", "Keep the Kettle Boiling"). Skippers run and jump the long rope once and run round the back of the other long rope turner. They must wait for the last person in the queue to get through before heading back and jumping the long rope from the opposite end. The path taken is in the shape of an 8. If someone misses their turn or makes a mistake they are out of the game until there is one winner. skipping trick tip Stand as close to the turners when entering the long rope and jump the middle of the long rope. For teaching purposes in schools, I suggest dividing the class into two, taking the final six from one half and competing them against the last six from the other half and have an over-all final winner. The "Figure of 8" is an excellent game to finish any teaching session off and is exciting enough for the classes to be keen to want to do it each week and hopefully, increase their overall high-score of continuous jumps of the long rope. For children up to the age of seven or eight, it may take longer for them to get the courage to run in at the correct time and jump the long rope in the middle, but they are, in the end, just as good at this game as the older children and adults.

I recently ran a workshop for Leinster Rugby Club and had 10 burly rugby players doing a continuous Figure of 8. They thought it was fantastic and an undeniably important contribution to their training and workouts. Lee Collinson James - skip-hop

Long Rope Skipping Trick 3) Texas Star - ropes required 2 or more x 4.5m. Four turners stand in a square and hold a handle each of the 4.5m ropes. The ropes are going diagonally so that a cross is formed at the centre. It is advisable to mark the floor where the ropes cross so that the turners can position themselves correctly and also so that the skipper entering the ropes can see where to jump. Two neighbouring turners rotate the ropes in a clockwise direction, the other two in an anticlockwise direction. Both ropes must go up at the same time and down at the same time. The turning of the ropes is, as always, essential to the success of the move. The skipper should concentrate on one rope and enter the rope as they would a normal long rope. Once in, they will be jumping both ropes at the same time. skipping trick tip Jumping the ropes in a double bounce rhythm is easier than a single bounce rhythm but it can be done in either double bounce or single bounce. Turners will have to practice turning the ropes at a higher speed for single bounce skipping.

Long Rope Skipping Trick 4) Skipping inside a long rope - ropes required 4.5m or 7.5m and an individual speed skipping rope. Two turners turn either a 4.5m long rope or a 7.5m long rope. Whilst the rope is turning, a skipper enters the rope with their own rope and begins to skip. It is most effective when the skipper inside the rope is doing a single bounce and the long rope is being turned at half the speed. In other words, the skipper's rope is travelling at twice the speed of the long rope. skipping trick tip The skipper may feel more comfortable starting in the middle of the rope first. This will mean that the long rope turners begin to turn their rope and as the rope comes over the head of the skipper, the skipper begins to turn their rope. The skipper must remember to instantly start skipping in a single bounce rhythm. Once inside and skipping comfortably, the skipper can then try some of the skipping tricks listed in the skipping tricks page.